Now, despite their name, these turtles are not literally painted: paint and turtles shouldn't be mixed. Get our free mobile appHowever, that's not what happened in a recent post on Facebook from the West Michigan Wildlife Center that turned a Northern Map Turtle into a, well, painted turtle. Below is a photo of a normal Northern Map Turtle, but you'll see shortly that the turtle the wildlife center saved looks quite different. West Michigan Wildlife Center via Facebook West Michigan Wildlife Center via FacebookNot only is it ethically wrong to paint a turtle, but the wildlife center also shares how it can be incredibly harmful to the turtle. West Michigan Wildlife Center via Facebook West Michigan Wildlife Center via FacebookThankfully, the West Michigan Wildlife Center managed to get most of the paint removed from the shell.